Rhetorical Devices, Appeals, and Literary Terms Flashcards
the repetition of similar consonant sounds at the beginning of words or within words
Alliteration
the dictionary meaning of a word, neutral definition
Denotation
the emotions and associations suggested by a word
Connotation
using strongly contrasting (very different) images, words, or ideas in a balanced (parallel) sentence or phrase
Antithesis
expressing the same idea in different words
Restatement
repeating an idea using the same words
Repetition
the words the writer chooses to convey a particular meaning; word choice
Diction
appealing to emotions
Pathos
appealing to a writer’s character, credibility, believability, expertise and experience
Ethos
appealing to logic and reasoning
Logos
a figure of speech in which a comparison is made between two things that are essentially unlike
Metaphor
the topic or a speech or text
The Subject
what a text says about life; the central idea; sometimes a message
Theme
the art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing, especially the use of figures of speech and other compositional techniques.
Rhetoric
the main events of a play, novel, movie, or similar work, devised and presented by the writer as an interrelated sequence.
Plot
a balance within one or more sentences of similar phrases or clauses that have the same grammatical structure; patterns in writing
Parallel Structure or Parallelism
to quote (a passage, book, or author) or paraphrase as evidence for or justification of an argument or statement, especially in a scholarly work
Cite
visually descriptive or figurative language, especially in a literary work; creates a mental picture in the reader’s head
Imagery
part of a story that provides essential background information about the main characters and the world of the story.
Exposition
the set of circumstances or facts that surround a particular event, situation, etc.
Context
